This colourful sequence of six "dances", with introduction and linking interludes, allowed McQueen to make his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival where he scored a considerable success with this essentially ironic treatment of folk-like material associated with Scotland, though not necessarily with the period of the enlightenment itself.

The source material is highly varied: after the shepherd's pipe introduction, the first in the sequence proper presents a Beethoven "Ecossais", as a kind of view of Scotland from the Viennese drawing room. Next comes a pibroch (MacCrimmon Will Never Return) in which the clarinet takes on the role of highland bagpipe chanter! Then the Burns song "De'il stick the Minister" is tranformed into a Reel. The traditional song "Will ye no come back again?" is used in a Lament for the carnage at the battle of Culloden which follows. A burst of violin virtuosity characterises the Strathspey, "Rothiemurchus' Rant". This leads to a tipsy/jazzy jig on "I'll mak' ye be fain tae follow me", which finally goes into overdrive to become a wild foil to the work's prelude: a sort of 21st century Scottish Dance ending with the traditional cry of "Yeuch!" from all the players!